Giving when it hurts

John Maxwell tells of his son, Joel Porter Maxwell. This, of course, happened some time ago now when his son was 14. He says that Joel got a job for the first time. You know, he worked hard and got that first paycheck. Now I don’t’ know if you remember your first official paycheck, but I do. I got it for my work in a gas station making 2 dollars and some change an hour. I was so proud.

That’s the way Joel was feeling. Gratified and proud. He brought it home and showed it to John, then he marched into the room where his mother was and said, “You know, I’ve thought it over and I’m not sure I can afford to tithe.” Isn’t that so much like us. He’s got more money in his hand that he’s ever had before and, all of a sudden he gets greedy, just like us. We say “I really need this money for something else.” We don’t see the impact of our decision upon our future. We don’t see that it is that decision that reflects that God’s not first in our lives. Hey, he’s not even second or even fifth. He’s way down on the list. We have been tested by our money and we have proven that we are not faithful.